‘Cat anger’

I consider it an irrational rage directed at the most brilliant domestic short-hair ever to shed a hairball upon the earth.

My fiancée, on the other hand, believes it’s the most appropriate emotional response to an unwanted feline cohabitator.

Either way, this much we agree on: She hates the cat.

Their relationship got off to a rocky start. Back when we first had started dating, I was going out of town for a weekend and asked MJ to stop by my apartment and feed Snowball. She agreed. I’m still not entirely clear on the details, but somehow MJ’s interaction with the cat that day led to a sharp-edged object falling off the wall and onto my fiancee’s head, causing her to bleed profusely all over the floor and soak one of my bath towels to a deep red.

Four years later, this incident was almost similarly reenacted when the cat plopped onto the staircase and declined to move. Unaware the cat was lounging on the stairs beneath her feet, MJ stepped on Snowball, stumbled and screamed.

I laughed.

“I almost died!” she barked at me. Then she stormed out of the house, vowing to return with a potassium-chloride filled needle. (She was kidding. I think.)

Between these two brushes with death, cat and girlfriend have had many smaller-scale incidents, some of which involved biting and scratching and hissing, some of which included flying shoes and all of which entailed threats of death – sometimes the cat’s, sometimes mine.

Other times, the incidents are not real but imagined. That’s right: My fiancée also has dreams about Snowball.

In one of these dreams, she trips over the cat and falls down the stairs; the cat then proudly sits atop her badly injured body.

In another dream, Snowball turns into a human – a super-model human. I then cancel the wedding and run off with Snowball.

16 Responses

Who came first, MJ or Snowball? I think the answer is obvious – it’s not the fiancee who’s jealous of the cat, but rather the other way round. Snowball is simply trying to re-level the playing field, and get things back to the way they were. If I were MJ, I too would be scared, very scared. Snowball will get her eventually…

Unfortunately, cats are often drawn to the person who dislikes them. They aren’t too comfy being (albeit lovingly) stared at by their owners. A pathetic 17-year-old cat was returned to the shelter (after suffering a stroke) and died in my house four weeks later of kidney failure because a girlfriend disliked this pitiful little soul.

If a person doesn’t like an animal, it is best to avoid the animal, who, God willing, will live its pathetic little 15-16 years on this earth and be gone forever. I wouldn’t have married someone who disliked my cats. Believe me.

You know Pete, when I was younger MJ used to tell me that if my parents had to choose between me and the cat, they would choose the cat because they had him longer. I think you know what needs to be done. =)

By day, Diego the cat loves on my husband, and only likes me when I feed/water/clean his box. However, at nighttime, I’m Diego’s favorite “parent”… and all 25 pounds of him curls up in my legs, setting me on fire while I sleep. So heavy. so warm and furry. So complicated!

Sounds like MJ has aggrevated the issue. Throwing things at animals is a good way to make them hate you, as is steppong on them. Cats can be very cunning in showing their dislike. I’m surprised she hasn’t had anything peed on!

Agreed, the stairs is not the best place to nap, but that’s the way cats are.

In the feline world, the females rule the roost (which proves they’re slightly smarter than humans). So, your female cat might perceive this (new to her) female as a threat – in other words, she’s jealous and claiming her territory.

A friend for Snowball, laying down the law and showing her MJ won’t back down and a little patience will probably solve the problem. Also, a nanny-cam – because you don’t want to miss these award-winning, funny moments.

PS: There’s actually a show about getting people and cats getting along better. I can’t remember the name of the show, but the man travels with a guitar case, and I believe it’s on Comcast. Perhaps it’s on YouTube or something. It creates a neediness in the cat and is done in steps.